A petition denouncing the PQ’s proposed values charter has attracted 10,000 signatures since being posted online Tuesday, a total that includes many prominent figures.
Dan Bigras, Philippe Falardeau, Michel Rivard, Richard Desjardins, Gabriel Nadeau- Dubois, Laure Waridel and Lise Ravary are among the better-known public figures who have signed on to endorse the text.
Lawyer Rémi Bourget, who co-authored the text, said that he is pleased that supporters of all political parties, including the Parti Quebecois and the Bloc Quebecois have endorsed the sentiments expressed in the accompanying text.
The 3,000 word manifesto addresses political, legal and philosophical issues raised by the values charter, which was tabled in the National Assembly Tuesday by PQ minister Bernard Drainville.
Bourget’s argument was developed jointly with columnist Judith Lussier, Professor of Philosophy Ryoa Chung and constitutional lawyer Frédéric Bérard .
Bourget said that the legislation is divisive and removes fundamental rights from an already vulnerable population by focusing on a few high-profile cases of unreasonable accommodation.
He believes that clear guidelines exist in the Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to adequately deal with questions of reasonable accommodation.
-With a file from The Canadian Press
